On This Day: Louis Mountbatten assassinated

On Aug. 27, 1979, IRA militants killed Louis Mountbatten, a cousin of Queen Elizabeth II of England, by blowing up his boat.

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UPI Staff

On August 27, 1979, IRA militants killed Louis Mountbatten, a cousin of Queen Elizabeth II of England, by blowing up his boat. It was the IRA's first attack on the royal family. File Photo by Allan Warren/Wikimedia

Adolf Hitler attends a Nazi Party rally in Nuremberg, Germany, circa 1928. On August 27, 1939, Adolf Hitler served notice on England and France that Germany wanted Danzig and the Polish Corridor. File Photo by NARA/UPI

U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez speaks at the National Press Club in Washington on May 20, 2005. On August 27, 2007, Gonzales announced his resignation, effective September 17. He had been embroiled in several controversies, including the firings of nine U.S. attorneys, treatment of detainees, surveillance and other issues. File Photo by Roger L. Wollenberg/UPI | License Photo

Glenn Tilton (L), president and CEO of United Airlines, and Jeffery Smisek, president and CEO of Continental Airlines, arrive to testify before the Senate Antitrust, Competition Policy and Consumer Rights Subcommittee hearing on The United/Continental Airlines Merger on Capitol Hill in Washington on May 27, 2010. On August 27, 2010, the planned $3 billion merger of Continental and United Airlines was approved by the U.S. Justice Department, clearing the major regulatory hurdle to the creation of the world's biggest airline. File Photo by Yuri Gripas/UPI | License Photo

Aug. 27 (UPI) -- On this date in history:

In 1859, the first successful oil well in the United States was drilled near Titusville, Pa.

In 1883, the most powerful volcanic eruption in recorded history occurred on Krakatoa, a small, uninhabited island west of Sumatra in Indonesia.

In 1939, Adolf Hitlerserved notice on England and France that Germany wanted Danzig and the Polish Corridor. Germany invaded Poland days later and on Sept. 3, France and Britain declared war, starting World War II.

In 2007, U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzalesannounced his resignation, effective Sept. 17. He had been embroiled in several controversies, including the firings of nine U.S. attorneys, treatment of detainees, surveillance and other issues.

In 2008, U.S. Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois was formally chosen as the Democratic presidential nominee at the party's national convention in Denver. Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware was the party's vice presidential nominee.

File Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI

In 2009, 17-year-old Briton Mike Perham, after a nine-month voyage in a 50-foot yacht, was recognized as the youngest person to sail alone around the world without assistance. At age 14, he had been the youngest to sail solo across the Atlantic.